Automatic lateral-balance-controlling device for flying-machines.



R. M. THOMPSON. AUTOMATIC LATERAL BALANCE GONIROLLING DEVICE FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1910 m m w y 0 1 R. M. THOMPSON. AUTOM ATIO LATERAL BALANCE CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLIOAII'IOH FILED JUNE 29, 1910 mm 0mm I, mm Pu e a a m a x m x m a O Y I, e o o 5. 1 u I 7 an 8 A 3 m 4 R I I 0 5. 1!! m z I Q U x 1 WWW mm Prvzls Inc-4.11m. msumm u z R. M. THOMPSON. AUTOMATIC LATERAL BALANCE CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR. FLYING MA'OHINES.

APPLIOAIIOH FILED JUNE 29. 1910 Patented Sept. 19, 1911,

4 SKEETS SHBET 3.

V/////////////////////%/ V/%/////////%fi/ Elnuantoz R. M. THOMPSON.

AUTOMATIC LATERAL BALANCE GONTROLLINGDBVIGE FOR FLYING MACHINES.

A'PPLIUATION FILED JUNE 29. 1910 1,003,670. Patented Sept. 19, 1911 wuewboz mm wooao 7 7007010 lam r'nuu IIJMMI Wumuawmh. c,

TATE

fUNITED s ROBERT M. THOMPSON, or Tacoma, wnsmncaon.

AUTOMATIC LATERAL-BALANCE-OONTROLLING DEVICE FOR FLYING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

Application filed June 29. 1910. Serial Ito/569,415. T ll 6071mm: 3 3 and 4, the pendulum 1 is hung within a, 56 Beat knownthat LROBERT M. Tnoursox suitable supporting and protecting box on a' a c t zen of the Limited States of America. horizontal pivot :2 so as to vibratein the residing at T acoma. 1n the-county of Pierce plane in which the corrective action is to be andState of ashmgton. have mvented cereffected and is connected, as above mentam new and useful Improvements in Autotioned. bv any suitable means to the correc- 60 matic Latera1-Balance-Commtiling Devices tive device of the flying machine. when for Flving-Machi11es. of which the followthe flying machine is steady, onwan even ing is a specification. reference being had keel. the pendulum 1 hangs vertically downtherein to the acconnmnving drawing. ward from. the pivot 2 thereof, A horizon- This invention relates to devices for attal lever 3 is secured by a vertical pivotto 65 taining automatic lateral balai'ice in flying the frame in such position that the knob 4, machine and'has for its objects to produce formed on the end, is in the plane of 'vibraa means-which will dampen the vibration of tion of the pendulum. The other end of a controlling pendulum. whereb the oscillathe lever 3 engages the forked end 5 of the tions thereof'frhm one side to the other are vertical double lever 6 so that if the lever 3 70 prevented. Iattain this and other objects moved in either direction the said lever by the devices." mechanisms and arrangewill I tiltedon its pivot on one side or the V ments illustrated in the accompanying tlrawother. This double lever 6 has two down- 2 ings. in whichward extensions 7 adapted to engage the u Figure a front elevation of the flying per surface of a T-bar 8, so that when t 1e 75 machine with in device mounted therein: lever 6 is turned in either direction the T,- Fig. :2' is a plan of a portion of the mechaha 1- S will be: forced downward thereby nism: Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof: lio: against the upward force clue to the -welght I 4 is a front elevation thereof: Fig. 5 is a deof the. hereinafter described cup 13 on the tailedcross section of the hall-holding cups: lever 9. This T-bar S is mounted. so as to 80 Figs. 6. 7. SI 9 and 10 aresimilar views of have vertical movement in a su1table socket said cups. showing them in v'arious relative supported bv the frame and is connected at positions: Fig. 11' is a side elevation of :1 its lower end to a vertically acting lever 9 variation of the mechanism: and'Fig. 1-2 is pi oted to the frame. This lever 9 carries v a front'elevation' thereof. at its other end one of the two ball-cups 86 Similar numerals of reference refer to h h w fleFcl'ibed l t l1 similarparts throughout the several views. bar 10'is pivoted to the. frame-so as tohave In order "to preserve the lateral balance of vertnral, movement HHCLJS adapted to fall a flving machine. it has been found necessary Into the P a e of fit 0f flpfi l vermin mrremive devices Wherewhen the peml ihnwlias been removed froln .90 the .nvmchine brought to v l it normal pOFlllOll. The stow bar 10 carlevel; either fwhen disturbed bv eddies in the 1 the #11911 il l air; or on" turning. the machine from a all 11 is provided of such weight ,as 19 strain litcoin'sQ-i QTliis invention has nothllt T f 5 1 110 13 3 ing to d") with the spccificmeans wherein the ball 1s m the cup. 1; secured thereto. an 95 the flying; ,niachine brought back to an eyelrkeel nt is; simplv a devicefor prevc ip l ng ine' than: pend]1111111-pastats neutral pos1t, i aidi-pcn-dnlur n ecti n. tile n. Fig,- electr whercli the 1 currentnhijelni devicec hreu l m hn wel 1 t :du-l-umi controls an electric 1.) Referring no v the cup the plane pf stopbarhas been renmved control connected tofthc pendnluing.

such that when the ball is removed from 1 non igf. the pendnhnne so' that when the ulnar win stoj its nentra siti n itiv ljhn h salt.

h atie g The 011 11;; which .secured:to theeendof he l afer !Kisgmountedndjaceut to the qi ip, 2. both 01' aith ups gqovlngnn sn lgstai i s. ':Fl 1e cups are time sir!ed.Thein open rmtheir atliacent. cc, at). have their lower surfaces inclined downward stop bar will" fall into th ei w toward each other, so that the ball will always tent] to roll out of the cup unless it is held therein by the other cup. Each cup has a downward extending plate 14 immediately below the said open side. The two plates 14 are in close proximity to each other and each is adapted to close the other cup "and therefore to hold the ball 11 therein when the cup to which the plate is attached is above the on containing the ball (see Figs. 5, 6, 7 an 9). The action of the devices is'as follows: hen the pendulum is in its normal or neutralposition, the lever 3 is on one side or the other of it and the knob 4 engages it. The lever 6 istherefore tilted to one side or the other and the T-bar 8 is somewhat depressed, and therefore t-l: cup 13 is raised above its lowest point (Fig. 6). .If the pendulum 1 swings away from m the side on which the knob 4 engagesit, the

said knob will swin to the neutral or central osition, throng the action ofthe lever 6, w ich allows the T-bar 8 to rise under the action of the weight of the on 13 and lowers the cup 13 (Fig. 8). In t e meantime, the ball 11 has been held in the cup 12 as shown in Figs 3 and 6, to hold the stop bar 10 out of t e plane of vibration of the endulum. 'If the displacement of. the pen ulum has been so small that the knob 4 has not been able to reach its central position, the ball remains in the app 12 and the stop bar has therefore not been lowered into the plane of vibration. As soon however as t e cup 13 is lowered to the ositionabove indicated, theballll rolls cm the cup 12 and into the cup 13, thus allowing the stop bar 10 to drop into the plane of vibration of the pendulum '(Fi 9). 4o Whenthe pendulum has thus been disp need, it acts through any of the well known means on the corrective device and as said corrective means restores the level of the flying machine, it swin back toward its neutra position. If it swings quickly, it will engage the stop bar 10, and W111 thus be brought to a dead stop, and in any case it will engage the knob 4 of the lever 3 and force it out of the neutral position thus lowering the T-bar 8 and raising the cup 13, with the ball 11, into the position to which the cup 12 has been brought when thestop bar 10 dropped (Figs. 9' and 10), and when the ball is thus raised it drops from the cup 13 to the cup 12, thus lowering the cu 12 and raising the stop bar 10. i The time actor which enters into this mechanism is such that the stop bar isremoved from the plane of vibration of the endulum before the pendulum touches it, if the motion of the pendulum is sufliciently slow to give the ball time to removethe stop bar after the pendulum has acted on the knob 4 and before. it acts on the stop bar 10. If the pendulum moves quicker, then it will engage the stop bar momentarily at a point slightly off its neutral position until the ball draws the stop bar out of position and allows the pen ulum to assume its neutral position. Should the pendulum swing in the other direction viz in the direction in which the knob 4 is dis laced, the action will be the same as above ascribed, except that as the pendulum passes the' knob 4 the on 13 will be raised somewhat hi her (Fig. 7% but will drop to the position s own in Fig. 8 immediatelv after the pendulum has passed the knob. It is evident that the knob is always displaced to one side or the other of the neutral or central osition except when the pendulum is out 0 its neutral position and that no difference in operation is developed when the pendulum swings either to one side or to the other.

Referring now to Figs. 11 and 12, the pendulum 15 corres on s with the penduum 1 and is similar y mounted. The horizontal lever 16 is rovided with a knob 17, and engages a don le vertical lever 18; these parts correspondin in form and action to the similar parts a We described. The lever 18 engages the T-bar 19, which is mounted on the end of a bell-crank lever 20, the other end of which is connected by a bar 21 to the center of the diaphragm 22 of a closed air-tight vessel 23, so that as the T-bar is displaced under the action of the lever 18, as described in the first above mechanism, the diaphragm 22 is pushed inward to displace'or com ress the air in the vessel 23. Another simi ar vessel 24 is mountedadjacent to the vessel 23, and is connected thereto by means ofa small constricted pipe or passage '25, so that any movement of the iaphragm 22 will move the similar diaphragm 26 of the vessel 24 in the opposite direction, the said movement being however not simultaneous, on accountof the smallness of the passage 25. The stop bar 27 corresponds with the stop bar 10 and is mounted in such way that its end is acted on by the diaphragm 26 to raise it out of the path of vibration of the pendulum, or to letit fall thereinto, so that when the lever 18 displaces the T-bar 19 the stop bar 27 is slowly moved out of the plane of vibration of the pendulum and so that if the pendulum swings out of its neutral position, the T-bar 19 is raised and the diaphragm 22 returns to its normal position, thus allowing the diaphragm 26 to return to its normal position and bringing the stop bar 27 into the plane of vibration of the pendulum.

It is evident that manv changes may be made in the details an mechanisms described, and I do not wish to confine myself to the specific devices shown, the main idea bein to retard or stop the oscillation. of the pen alum every time it approaches the neutral position and vet to leave it free to immediately move therefrom in either direcv displace the lateral tion. It is of course understood that the mechanism is constructed sh that the parts properly balance and workieasily.

Having described my invention, what I claim is za 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with corrective meansfor restoring lateral balance in a flying machinea grav ty controlled means controlling said corrective means; and means adapted to retardsald gravity controlled means,- said retardm means acting on said gravitv controlle means only when it has substantlally reached its neutral position. 2. In a device of the class described the combination with corrective means for restoring lateral balance in a flying machine; a gravity-controlled means adapted to be from its neutral PbSltiOH when balance is disturbed; means connectmg said corrective means to said gravity contro ed means whereby the displacement of said gravity controlled 'means will set in operation said correcti e means to restore the lateralwbalance; and means adapted to retard said gravity controlled means, said retarding means acting on said gravity con trolled means only when it has substantially reached its neutral position.

3.'In a device of the class described, the

combinationjwith corrective means forrestoring lateral balance m a flying machine; a gravity controlled means adapted to be displaced from its neutral position when the'lateral balance is disturbed; means connecting said corrective means to said avity controlled means wherebv the disp acement of said gravit controlled means will set inoperation sai corrective means to restore the lateral balance; means adapted to retard said gravity controlled means as it approaches its neutral lagging means adapted to withdraw' said retarding means afterthe gravity controlled mean's'has substantially reached its neutral position.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with corrective means for re storing lateral ba ance in a flying machine; a gravity contro ed means adapted to be displaced from its neutral position when the lateral balance is disturbed; means connecting. said corrective means with said gravity controlled means whereby the (11splacement of said gravity 'contro led means will set in operationsaid corrective means to restore the lateral balance; a removable stop adapted to be placed in the path of 581d gravity controlled means at the neutral point thereof when said means has been disthe lateral operation sai the lateral balance; a removable stop ada tposition; and time tral position.

combination with corrective means for restoring lateral balance in a flying machine;

a gravit ontrolled means adapted to be displace from-its neutral pos1tion when balnnce is disturbed; means conmeeting said corrective means with said gravity controlled means whereby the displacement df said gravity controlled meanswill set in operation said corrective means to restore the ateral balance; a stop normally removed from the path of said gravity controlled means when said means-is .in its neutral osition; a lever ada ted to be actu ated by said gravity controlled means when it leaves or approaches its neutral position; and atime lagging means set in operation by said lever, path of the gravity controlled means at its neutral point, and then to withdraw said stop from said position after said means has substantially reached its neutral position.

ti: In a device of the class described, the combination with corrective means for restoring lateral balance in a flying machine; a gravit cont-rolled means adapted to be displace from its neutral osition when the lateral balance is disturbe means connecting said corrective means with said gravity cont-rolled means whereb the displacement of said gravit controlle means Wlll set in corrective means to restore ed to be laced in the path of said grav ty controlled means; and means for operating said removable stop.

7. In a deviceof the class described, the

combination with a corrective means for restoring lateral balance in a flying machine a gravity controlled means controlling sai corrective means; and means adapted to change the velocity ofsaid gravity conof the class described the first to place said stop in the trolled means, said "elocity cha ging means acting on said gravity controlle means only when it has subst'ant-ially'reached ts neu- In testimon whereof I ailix my signature in aresence 0 two witnesses.

l ROBERT M. THOMPSON. \Vitnesses:

'CHAS. W'. STEWART, 

